Dress display rack



NOV. 17, 1936. HUMPHREY 2,061,156

DRESS DL'ESPLAY RACK Filed July 3, 1935 Patented Nov. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES rs OFFICE V 2 Claims. My invention relates to improvements in dress display racks and it consists in the combinations, constructions andarrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a better display of the dresses on the rack.

A further object is to provide a rack which will give instantaneous information of the dress size.

10 A further object is to provide a rack which is very convenient for the handling of dresses.

A further object is to provide means for rendering difficult the theft of a dress.

A further object is to provide greater access to the dresses by the customer and at the same time to eliminate the necessity of touching the dress with the hands.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features 20 of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, in which:

25 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a rack showing the dress supporting means.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of the rack.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view substantially along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a supporting bar.

In carrying out my invention I make use preferably of a channel iron I. At each end of the 40 channel iron between the U-shaped arms thereof is a bracket member 2 having a flange which is secured to the central portion of the channel iron I by screws 3, or in any other suitable manner.

Spaced from the bracket 2 is a rod 4 which is pivotally secured at 5 to a hinge arm 6 pivotally secured at the opposite end to the U-shaped arms of the channel iron I. A similar hinge arm (not shown) supports the opposite end of the rod 4. 50 It will be observed that the bracket 2 has openings '6 and that the rod 4 overlies the bracket 2. The hinges 6 at the opposite ends of the rod 4 permit the rod 4 to swing to the right (in Fig. 2) and also toward the member I. By placing a pin 55 8 in one of the holes I the rod 4 may be locked (Cl. 2l.196)

in the position to which it has been shifted for a reason explained later.

The upper arm of the channel member I is drilled every four inches in order to receive pins 9 which project downwardly as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, while the rod 4 is provided with pins II) which are spaced every four inches, but are staggered, as shown, with respect to the pins 9.

The hanger support is shown best in Fig. 4. It consists of a bar I I preferably of rectangular cross 10 section and having a. cylindrical extension 12.

A tubular member I3 receives the portion I2 and is preferably welded to it, as shown in Fig. 4.

The outer end of the tubular member I3 has a longitudinal slot I4 in its bottom. It is provided near the end with a spring clip I5 which is spotwelded to the top of the tubular member I3 at its middle point in such a manner that the rounded inwardly turned ends I5a pass through openings I3a in the member I3 (see Fig. 5).

Disposed within the tubular member I3 is a rod preferably made of aluminum. This rod is shown at IS in the drawing. It is provided near one end with recesses ISa into which the rounded ends I5a of the spring clip I5 are designed to en- 2 ter so as to check the outward movement of the rod. The rod, as will be observed, bears a disk I! with a numeral thereon, indicating the size of the dress.

The hanger proper is built up of three pieces. A steel web I8 fits into a milled slot in the rod I6 and is secured thereto by means of a pin I9. This web passes through the slot I4, as shown in the drawing, and the lower end of the web is secured in a slot in a wooden hanger 20, by two pins 2|.

A steel spring 22 passes through a slot I8a in the web I8, thence down behind the hanger, each end of this spring being curved and being provided with a cushioning member in the shape of a piece of short rubber tubing 23.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device the operation thereof may be readily understood. If there are enough dresses to fill the rack, then the pin 8 is set so that the supporting arms will be at an angle of forty-five degrees. These arms are placed on the rack over the rod 4, the opening Ila receiving downwardly extending pin 9 and the opening IIb receiving the upwardly extending pin I0. Since the arm is held at two points, its position will be rigid. The dress may be placed on the hanger in the usual manner and the springs 23 may then be brought over the shoulder so as to clamp the dress.

Since the supporting rods are at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the rack as a whole, the sizes as indicated by the numbers on the disks, can be readily ascertained so that it is not necessary to handle the dress to ascertain the size.

When a dress is wanted, the supporting rod I6 may be pulled out for a distance of ten inches to the point where the spring clip will hold it by the entrance of the ball-like ends in the depression Hia. If however it is desired to take the dress down from the rack, a sharp .pull releases the clip so that the hanger passes on out of the end of the slot I4 as the rod I6 is moved outwardly. The dress can be easily removed if desired but the fact that the dress is held onto thewooden hanger by means of the spring clamps ,22 makes it' difficult for thieves to remove the dress without attracting attention.

When the number of dresses is reduced to half, every other hanger and hanger support is removed by lifting the hanger support from the pins holding the same. The pin?! is withdrawn and the rod 4 swung inwardly to thirty degrees where the rod 4 is again locked by the locked pin '3 8' which passes thr ough the opening i in the bracket'2. For just'a'few dresses a fifteen degree angleis possible. Consequently'there is never a vacant orunbalanced appearance.

While I have spoken 'of two hinge members 6 since this is the minimum number for supporting the rod 4, it is obvious that any number of supporting members similar to ;6 might be used. In

actual practice if the rack is a long one, these hinges are placed every twelve inches along the channel. Furthermore, while I have given certain dimensions for a rack of convenient size, it is obvious that these dimensions might be changed without departing in the least from the horizontally extending flange, and said hanger supporting arm being provided with openings for receiving "said pins.

2. In a dress display rack, a hanger support comprising a pivoted arm, means for locking said arm in adjusted angular positions, atub'e having I tudinal slot, a rod slidable into and out of said'tubefaweb secured to saidrod and adapted to enter the slot in the tube, a hanger having a central portion igidly secured to said'web and being provided with laterally extending arms disposed parallel to said rod, and spring-actuated means'for checking the outward movement of the rod at a predetermined point in said movement.

HARRY G. HUIVIPHREY. 

